May 30, 2026 • 26 mins
This week on the podcast, the hosts dive into the unsettling horror release of the year, Backrooms. A film that has sparked huge conversation online for its atmosphere, psychological tension and its take on internet horror culture. The movie follows a group trapped inside a seemingly endless, liminal nightmare of fluorescent-lit hallways and shifting architectural design where reality slowly collapses around them.
The hosts discuss the film's use of found footage, which is reminiscent of classic horror movies like Blair Witch and how it taps into the idea of liminal spaces. Which are spaces that aren't quite a room or a place but rather a transitional area that can be unsettling and eerie. They also talk about the film's cinematography, editing and score. Which all contribute to the sense of tension and unease.
Ben and Brose praise the performances of the cast, particularly the two leads, who play characters that are both likeable and unlikable at the same time. They also discuss the film's themes of isolation, claustrophobia, and the blurring of reality and fantasy.
If you're a fan of horror movies or just looking for a thought-provoking discussion, this episode is a must-listen. The hosts' analysis of the film's themes and techniques is insightful and entertaining and their passion for the subject matter is infectious. Join them as they dive into the world of Backrooms and explore what makes this film so compelling.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Listen
Watch
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
It's in the news today, but it was actually on TV.
Speaker 2 (00:02):
Reload the podcast last week that.
Speaker 1 (00:03):
Line, yeaday, guys, welcome back to TV Reload. My name
is Benjamin Norris, and today I'm joined by my very
fabulous co host, brose of Art.
Speaker 2 (00:11):
That's right, I'm stalking around the back rooms of my house.
I guess.
Speaker 1 (00:16):
Your house is like that, though, isn't it.
Speaker 2 (00:18):
Yes, it has some subliminal spaces in the liminal space. Sorry,
e liminal space. I'm confusing subliminal liminal. But we'll get
into that in a minute. I think I think liminal
spaces is the theme of this movie.
Speaker 1 (00:28):
Well, this week we are diving into one of the
most unsettling horror releases of this year with A twenty
four's back Rooms, a film that has already sparked huge
conversation online for its atmosphere, psychological tension, and the way
that it taps into internet horror culture. Which, yeah, here
we are in twenty twenty six. And that's the thing, Bros.
Speaker 2 (00:48):
Absolutely a thing. And I don't want to jump the
gun too early, but thin Man is another movie that was,
you know, essentially came from internet horror, and I love
the community that gets around this stuff, Like I love
a great horror movie, but the idea that teens and
are just online scaring the shit out of each other
with stuff they're making up. I love that. It's like
campfire stuff. It's just a different way of approaching it,
(01:08):
and it all gets recorded, so if someone wants to
make a film based on it, it's all there. You know.
Speaker 1 (01:14):
This film does remind me. And when I first watched
the trailer and when I first started hearing about it,
I thought, Blair Witch Project. Do you think Blair Witch
Project when you watch this movie?
Speaker 2 (01:23):
Well, I guess because Blair which was the biggest found
footage do doco, So even I'm an idiot, it was
a found footage horror film. That's one that really broke
through into the mainstream and it's probably the first time
a lot of cinemago was even saw found footage ideas. Now,
found footage has used a lot, obviously in documentaries because
they go and look for the footage to tell the
story they're telling, and in fiction, so nonfiction, it's used
(01:44):
a lot. In fiction not as common, but yeah, the
original short film for this back Rooms, which this film
is based on, is all found footage. And it's quite spectacular.
It's about nine minutes, a great little film.
Speaker 1 (01:54):
I just want to know with this film, there's a
few concepts that are being done here the found footage. Actually,
forget this, guys, I'm just going to do something. I'm
going to do something really early with this conversation and
just say this might be a shorter episode because of
you guys listening to this, Because there is a lot
of ways in which Bros. And I could be unpacking
this film that could ruin spoil this film for you.
Speaker 2 (02:16):
So yeah, and we want to encourage meole to see
this film because it is a film that's hard to describe,
which is also one of the themes of the film ironically,
but you should go and see it. Is definitely what
we're saying, experience something that is an experience rather than
just a story.
Speaker 1 (02:30):
Well. Backrooms is a twenty twenty six American science fiction
horror film directed by Cain Parsons. This is his first
feature length film as a director. From a screenplay by
Will Sutik, the film is based on Parson's hugely successful
web series inspired by the viral Backrooms Creepy pasta phenomenon
that exploded online and I have to say, maybe, Bros,
(02:52):
I'm not online as much as I should be, but
I wasn't aware of this phenomenon. Did you know anything
about this creepy series?
Speaker 2 (03:00):
I wasn't necessarily aware of it. But it does parallel
the thin Man kind of phenomenon. So the idea that
the thin Man became a horror character that everyone would
write gifts or photos. They'd edit thin Man into the
background of photos and things, so thin Man became prolific
online as a horrific character that everyone would use and
everyone enjoyed getting scared by. And then back Rooms was
kind of a similar idea, so it kind of extends
(03:23):
in terms of the mood. I guess the vibe that
the back Rooms content has is that it's kind of
lending from you know those YouTube or tiktoks where people
go into an empty hotel or an empty house or
an empty sew or something, and it's using that idea
that when something's abandoned that it's somehow kind of perverted
and scary at the same time. So empty horror corridors
(03:45):
in a in a primary school or empty corridors in
a hotel when it's empty and not being used for
purpose is inherently kind of spooky, and so that's what
this film is building off the back of. And so
Creepy Pasta is one of the places where people were
sharing this content and our director, in this instance I
saw that content and thought, oh, I could do better
than that. So he then set out to start developing
his own liminal spaces, horror and back rooms. Was that
(04:08):
was the result of that.
Speaker 1 (04:09):
Well, I think that every single person in the world
at some point has had a nightmare that tinkers into
this kind of conceptual idea because that whole near as
far endless space. You know, that feeling when you're in
the ocean is how deep is this ocean? Or being
in space, how expansive is space? That kind of spatial
element to me has always terrified me.
Speaker 2 (04:31):
And you're absolutely right, because it's talking about space. So
two thousand and one space, what does he uses this
idea of liminal space as well? When you look at
a space station with only two people on it, you know,
and there's the horror element we've now forgotten his name,
the talking robot. How how so with Hell, who's obviously
the horrific character in that instance, but they use the
liminal spaces. Same with Kubrick in The Shining as well.
That empty hotel is all about liminal spaces as well.
(04:54):
It's not being used as the hotel, and it's going
to be used as the hotel once winter is over.
But in this instance there's just three people walking around
haunted corridors. So there is a history of liminal spaces
in horror, but this is with the found footage and
the reality element he's brought into this.
Speaker 1 (05:07):
It's really tasty, well injected into this is some fantastic
acting and I think when they were casting this they
must have thought to themselves, these people being put into
these spaces are going to have to convey a lot.
The film stars chuetel Igio four and Renata Ryan's Fair
That stares Mark Duplus, Finn Bennett, and Lacuta Maxwell.
Speaker 2 (05:26):
Oh, I love Markedjuplus. He's good in everything, could be quirky,
funny or straight, and he's I mean, he's barely in this,
but he's in it enough. He significant.
Speaker 1 (05:32):
Today we're breaking down the cast, cinematography, editing, score, and
the creative team behind this film, and while also talking
about why independent horror film has become one of the
most profitable genres in modern cinema. But before we get
any further, I do want to drop us a little
thirty second tease and also tell you just a little
bit about the film. Out of Place.
Speaker 2 (05:57):
Hello, anyone in there. Look, I know how this sounds,
but you can't understand. It's massive in there.
Speaker 1 (06:05):
I'm not saying I don't believe you.
Speaker 2 (06:07):
Okay, I'm gonna come back here, would proof? All right?
You feel me? Yes? Follow my lead?
Speaker 1 (06:14):
What is this?
Speaker 2 (06:15):
That's what I'm trying to figure out. I've been here
every night since I found the place, and I still
barely scratch the surface. I just take a slong. Me up,
Put me up, put me out. What do all these
rooms this place built?
Speaker 1 (06:35):
It's like amaze, it just goes on and on.
Speaker 2 (06:38):
Somes. I'm scared I'll get lost. I don't understand what
is this?
Speaker 1 (06:52):
So Backrooms follows a group trapped inside a endless, liminal
nightmare of fluorescent lid hallways and shifting architectural design where
reality slowly collapses around them. Rather than relying on traditional
horror formulas, this film leans heavily into psychological dread, isolation,
and atmosphere to create tension. Bros. When you hear about
(07:14):
these things, is that how you felt was their psychological dread.
Speaker 2 (07:17):
What I love about it is the idea that it
looks like an office space, you know, like any office building,
an office building. It's got some dated wallpaper on it,
and a lot of films, even a TV series like
The Original English Office use that environment to create a
certain mood. And there is a mood in that, and
there is something relentless about you know, those people that
listen that go to an office every day and the
same lights and the same desk and the same coffee
(07:39):
machine or the same people. There is already a routineness
that is kind of I wouldn't say horrific, but there
is something kind of depressingly consistent about it. And that's
what he kind of taps into. As soon as you
see that space, it's nothing exciting, and then it's a
bit weird because walls are in different places, or the
cabinets against the walls aren't right where they should be.
So some really impressive rule stuff, but yeah, the mood
(08:01):
that he creates, and that like a lot of places
like this don't have wallpaper, but the choice of that
wallpaper was just added so much to the horror in
some ways.
Speaker 1 (08:10):
What about the publicity team deciding to give everyone a
large popcorn made out of the color of those walls,
Like it was so good.
Speaker 2 (08:17):
We all got a yellow bag of popcorn and the
paper was the wallpaper.
Speaker 1 (08:20):
Also, a big shout out to A twenty four for
being able to have that many people in an independent
film like this.
Speaker 2 (08:26):
That's the biggest audience I've been in for one of
these kinds of things since probably like the last Ghostbusters
movie or something you know, like or screen would have
been the same, like things like that. And it's just
a little independent film, brilliant little independent film.
Speaker 1 (08:38):
Well, Also, I thought, what was really scary for you
and I is the idea of a nine to five job.
When was the last time you've been in an office
space where you had a nine to.
Speaker 2 (08:47):
Job ros two thousand and eleven.
Speaker 1 (08:49):
That's truly terrifying. That's just thinking about being in a
nine to five job in an office that is as
stale as the environments that has been created here.
Speaker 2 (08:59):
Getting back to the kind of the similarity with Blair
Witch with the found footage, Severance came to mind as
well from Apple TV because Severance uses the same kind
of idea that it's about the unknown. I think with
severance in this film that it's a well known environment
presented in a way that is completely unknown to the
individual in the environment, and it keeps changing, like you're saying,
and isn't quite an accurate representation at all times. So
(09:21):
I was getting very very severancy kind of feels through it.
I was waiting for them just to walk into a
random room with goats and grasp. Cube is another horror
film I really enjoy where it kind of reminded me
the same kind of repetition of space and the continuing
of space, and it's the psychological element in Cube. Every
space is the exact same cube. They ended through different ways,
each time creates its own set of tensions and horror
(09:43):
within the dynamic and the activities in the cube, and
it follows. Is a great horror film, one of the greatest.
I think. It's twenty seventeen, very simple premise and shot
very simply but beautifully shot, really stark, pale colors, scary
as hell to that film. So great with that film.
Speaker 1 (10:00):
I remember the score for that was quite eighties, is
that Ryan, Yeah, yeah, Yeah, it's really good. Well, we're
going to jump into talking about some of the acting
in this film, because I think it was a real
choice to pick all of these actors. Like all of
these actors I feel like at the top of their
game in terms of character acting and offering just those
small nuances that we like that make us connect to characters. Chipotel,
(10:22):
who is our protagonist straight away, is a very unlikable guy,
and yet we are still rooting for him. That is
a really impossible task that has been set for our
protagonists with this film. That's also being offset by Vernata,
and we're sort of getting both of these characters POV
the whole way through the film, bros. With these two
(10:43):
leads who do a lot of heavy lifting, How did
you get well?
Speaker 2 (10:47):
She would tell, is he a bad guy or is
he just a guy in a bad situation? I love
the way he plays the situation. He's got a shitty job,
and he's this isn't giving too much away, but he's
separated from his wife and things like that. It takes
a while do we get later on in the third act,
which I want to mention the way that kind of
turns around on itself. But in the beginning you just
kind of think, Okay, he's had a bad he's had
a rough trot, right, But we dig deeper and deeper
(11:08):
and deeper. And then Mary the psychologist again the same
kind of thing. Right, she's got a pass, she's got
a history. It's not as privileged as you might think
straight away saying that she seems to're a reasonably successful
psychologist with her own books on tape and things like that.
So yeah, but she plays things so straight and so
calm even when things get quite energetic, she still kind
(11:28):
of keeps it together again until that third act where
it's just magnificent. So they're both great and to be
in a space again which just looks like an office building,
but they're reacting constantly to everything around them that's very
subtle and making it absolutely count and work. That weird
moment where he picks up a chair but it's still
stuck to the chair underneath it for some reason. Oh
weird and brilliant and bizarre, and yeah, he just reacts
(11:50):
to it and then keeps moving. But yeah, their performances
both are fantastic.
Speaker 1 (11:54):
Well, he does sort of explain as the actor that
in his therapy you kind of hear and say that
people don't like him. You know, people don't we'll come
to him in a way of a bit of disdain,
and you know, we as an audience have already felt that.
I think as he explains it to us, you know,
we're like, hey, no shit, mate, you are a bit
of a weird and you're running like this store that
you obviously don't want to run, and you know they
(12:17):
don't man explain this, but it's actually very clever in
the way in which those two things are running at
the same time. Where he is showing he's demonstrating the
fact that he'd be a fucking weird blow to meet
in real life. You know.
Speaker 2 (12:27):
Yeah, the other element of this film is really good.
And again that's not a spoiler, but that main character
is working defenders Staw, but he's actually an architect by trade.
The term liminal spaces is actually an architectural term, and
it simply describes any space that isn't a room. Basically, so,
a w hallway is a liminal space, an entrance way
is a liminal space. Any space he put into a
design that isn't a bedroom or a bathroom or a
(12:48):
meeting room or a function room is a liminal space,
and so yeah, just having that little element in there
is it's kind of tasty when you look up the
definitions of some of the terms and it's like, oh, wow,
he'd know that because he is an architect.
Speaker 1 (12:59):
He is an archael and I've never met an architect
that's not a little bit creepy.
Speaker 2 (13:03):
Finn Bennett and Lakeida Maxwell round out the main cast.
But I just wanted to mention Lakida Maxwell. I don't
know if anyone's been enjoying Shrinking. I really enjoyed it
on Apple TV. She's the daughter in that. And you know,
you get a sense of ownership over new actors when
you like a show they're in and then see them
do better and do well in a film. So I
was half proud, but enjoyed her performance as well.
Speaker 1 (13:20):
I think it's interesting as well now the way that
the landscape of television and film has changed. You know,
back in the day, you were a television actor on
Friends and Jennifer Anderson certainly wasn't welcome to make movies, no,
you know what I mean, Like no one was allowed
to cross the room. And now we are finding actors
in some of these scripted dramas and they're allowed to
(13:41):
just walk straight into you know, and.
Speaker 2 (13:42):
There are still some actors that stay in film, but
you know, once they get to about fifty, then they
can sign a very lucrative screening streaming deal and make
a drama.
Speaker 1 (13:51):
Did the performances help make this environment though believable for you?
Do you think that? Because I kind of talked about
this before in terms of getting some of Particular's style
of actors and actresses. You know, they obviously chose that
to try and sell the realism and to make sure
the fear was there in a psychological.
Speaker 2 (14:08):
I mean, the thing that blows me away. And we
haven't really mentioned it, but the guy that directed this
is twenty or twenty one years old. It's unknown because
Wikipedia has twenty or twenty one, depending on when he
was two thousand and five or two thousand and six.
But for a director of that age to have such
mature direction and the subtlety that he gets out of
these actors, like it's so easy when horror to go
over the top and be really kind of crazy, like
even the you know, our main star playing Clark there,
(14:30):
he could have played that so many different ways. You know,
in that third act, which I don't want to give
anything away from, but he plays it, underplays it. He's
so subtle and he it seems so much more believable
to me. And saying with the younger cast, I just
really liked the performances he got out of them and
knew not to go and who knows, maybe he got
them to play three or four different ways per take
or per per scene or whatever. But I think the
performances he gets out of them and the maturity just
(14:52):
to just stay there, don't don't go too big, just
stay where you are, was just great. Don't you agree?
Speaker 1 (14:57):
Yeah, Cane Parsons is just phenomenal. I think ye that
we to be talking about for a long time. Didn't
know who he was yesterday, No I didn't, And then
here we are talking about him in a way that
I think, you know, this is sort of where filmmaking
is going, you know. I think people are looking for
more unique and younger stories as well, because for a
long time we struggled to talk and get younger people
(15:19):
interested in cinema and get them into cinema like we
grew up. Yeah, you know, Fridays and Saturday nights. You
couldn't buy a ticket to the movies because it would
sell out.
Speaker 2 (15:26):
Couldn't get an overnight video from the VHS story either, right, like, yeah,
everyone was watching a movie on Friday's a day night.
The other thing I think is great is that for
ages people have been saying he can go from YouTube
or the internet to TV or film, and a lot
of people like to say that, but the evidence hasn't
been that rich really, whereas now there's a real strong divide.
And given the fact that when we were kids, we
love guys like Sam Raimi, you know, these self starters
(15:49):
Kevin Smith went out and made their own film, bought
their own film, stock, shot their own films, found a distributor.
That part of the industry doesn't really exist anymore. You've
got to kind of be at Blumhouse level to even
get a start anymore, which obviously our director here has
been able to do. But it's good that YouTube is
now producing people. You know, Jim Cameron came from the
independence and Jack Nicholson was in independent films before he
(16:09):
got you know, the bits of the big time, Like yeah,
all the small independent films that used to provide the
talent for the main industry don't exist as much as
they used to, so YouTube you have to turn to YouTube.
And this guy is just incredible.
Speaker 1 (16:20):
So we've got our cinematographer who is Jeremy Cox. I
think this film would be nothing without the choices that
are made to make this feel claustrophobic and those long haulways.
The fluorescent lighting, which to me, I'm just going to
say to you, bros, I've always been terrified of fluorescent
lights flicking on and off, like take Me seven eleven,
where they haven't done the lighting properly, and that's my nightmare.
Speaker 2 (16:39):
Does your eye twitch a little bit? Do you get
a little bit twitchy a little bit?
Speaker 1 (16:42):
I was switching while we both talk about this right now.
Speaker 2 (16:44):
The other thing that I loved in this film too
is I hate when there's a design thing and they
use it in this film, like it really makes my
eye twitch as well, where like one of the lights
is covered by a wall, like half the light because
that's where they wanted the wall, but they didn't bother
to move the light. And it's that kind of thing
driving me crazy. And then in this film there's a
shot of that and you're like, ah, you just gotta
get me there too, don't you. Little things aren't quite right.
(17:05):
I like everything to be lined up well.
Speaker 1 (17:06):
Our cinematographer is definitely weaponizing these empty spaces, which creates
an enormous amount of tension throughout the film from start
to finish. And also clever about this film when it
comes to the editing by Gregnng is that it's not
a long film. You know that films these days lose
me when they go for too long. This film literally
is an hour and forty five minutes and you're out,
(17:27):
And I think that's for this genre of film. It
couldn't have gone any longer. If you ask me.
Speaker 2 (17:32):
No, I agree, And look, we've said it before, we'll
say it again. But comedies, horror films, a lot of
genre films, even thrillers. Ninety minutes and one hundred minutes
it that's all you need. You don't need to go
over the top, you don't need to go crazy.
Speaker 1 (17:44):
What's your rationale for why they make movies so long
these days? Like you know, coming from your background, you
have a strong love of superhero films, which now are
three hours long. You know what do you think the
rationales extend?
Speaker 2 (17:55):
I think often sequels now get longer and longer because
they feel they have to add more and more in
to justify the sequel and to get people's attention. And
I don't think that's true. The other complaint I've always
had is why the sequels to superhero films always have
multiple villains. Why do they always have multiple villains.
Speaker 1 (18:10):
We don't want that.
Speaker 2 (18:11):
One really good villain. I don't need exactly three warded down,
crappy villains. But it's that idea of we're going to
give them a little bit more. We've got to get
a little bit more out of it. It's got to be
a little bit more. I think, like a big epic
film like the original Suitman. That's fine, it's an epic
tale that's telling this incredible story. But that doesn't mean
every Superman film needs to be three hours long. You know,
just get to the point, tell us the story, and
let's move on. We can watch another movie another day
(18:32):
with another short, sharp, ninety minute story.
Speaker 1 (18:35):
And something that you love and I love hearing your
response to is score the composer, And I think that
this particular Itto Van Breeman, who's contributed to this with
Kane Parsons himself. He's also attributed as a composer of
this film is the score is so cleverly worked into
some of these claustrophobic spaces, you know, and also non
(18:57):
sound and requirement of sound and no score with scored.
Like some of the choices there were quite specific.
Speaker 2 (19:03):
And some really at times the score felt I don't know,
maybe it was leading us a little bit too much,
but it led us in such a creative way that
it kind of felt nice to be led that makes sense,
So it was not as much cliche necessarily. Kane Parsons,
as well as being a filmmaker on YouTube, is also
a music composer and is released up on SoundCloud and
(19:25):
other sites. And he has a like a distography as
well as a filmography, so he contributed he does a
lot of electronic music with this film is full of it.
But yeah, it's a minimalistic film and it's a cheap
budget and the score just works, you know, It's not
necessarily as great I thought the Mandalorian score was one
of the spectacular score by a new composer for the
Star Wars universe. Where's this score? Okay, not a big
(19:47):
fantastic new idea or anything, but it's just so perfect
for the way the film is the lines perfectly and
it leads you into some really good scares, which is
what you want, but doesn't give them away as such either,
and like you're saying, because it's a a minimal visual
the way they then choose not to use score or
then to use it, or then not to use it,
and then ramp up to something like so much great
(20:08):
stuff in this well.
Speaker 1 (20:08):
I think silence in really good science fiction horror films
over if I look back through from the seventies to today,
silence is an incredibly powerful horror device. It definitely creates
it unease rather than just having a jump scare. And
let's not forget which tagline is this in space? No
one can hear you scream?
Speaker 2 (20:27):
Is that aliens or alien? Alien? Isn't that a I
think it's alien? Right, No, it's alien. I feel like
I said that.
Speaker 1 (20:33):
You know, of course you know this great actual facts
it is.
Speaker 2 (20:36):
But it's also interesting because two thousand one Space he
uses electronics score all the way through it as well,
which there are some parallels here, So yeah, it is.
It is spectacular score, really clever, really well done, nice,
nicely composed.
Speaker 1 (20:48):
Before we do our scores. I just want to touch
upon this because you know you and I watch you know,
I'm assuming you've watched Buffy the Vampire Slayer where they
have the Big Bad a lot. You know, the choice
in some of these horror films about how to reveal
the big Bad? Do you need to reveal the big Bad?
I mean Blair, which projects certainly never showed us the Witch.
What do you think about a decision in because I
(21:08):
don't want to spoil this for anyone, Because I watched this,
I was watching it thinking there's a good chance when
we're not going to meet the Big Bad, and that's
an interesting place for me to kick it over to you.
Speaker 2 (21:19):
How do you well? The thing that I like about this,
without trying not to give anything away, is the Big
Bad connects with the source material for this film, the
internet horror stuff. It involves like this is a big
Bad has a parallel with the Thin Man and the
thin Man. You often saw representations of the thin Man
in the online horror stuff, but you never saw a
definitive image of the thin Man.
Speaker 1 (21:41):
You know.
Speaker 2 (21:41):
He kind of uses that technique in this as well,
that we do see the big Bad ultimately, But do
we though, well that's the other thing we made on
who even knows, but the because it's such a psychological
kind of terror. I like the design or the way
the Big Bad is used in this is reflective of
the back rooms and liminal horror Internet stuff, so I
(22:02):
kind of like that. Like at first off it seems
a bit abstract, but it is actually quite direct from
that source, so I like that element at least.
Speaker 1 (22:09):
Well A twenty four has dropped a clanger this week
with the back rooms, and I I think I'm going
to surprise people when I tell you what my score
is this week.
Speaker 2 (22:20):
Oh shall I go first? Or do you want to go? No?
Speaker 1 (22:24):
I think look, because we haven't talked about it, and
I don't want to influence yours either. I don't know
if this whole film worked for me, so I'm going
to say and off the back of Obsession, which probably
kicked a few more goals in this space of you know,
low budget, big idea but also being quite minimalistic, we
didn't get to do Obsession. I know you haven't seen
it yet, so this might sound a little unfair. I
(22:45):
felt like that that made some more wins this where
this one didn't quite succeed. So I'm going to say
two and a half stars for this. That's fair, you know,
And I really don't know how this film's going to
go with It's with how much money it's going to make.
There's a lot of discussion about, oh, it's low budgets,
under ten million, they're going to make a fortune. But
I just think with Obsession and back Rounds coming out
(23:06):
at the same time could be bad timing for this.
I don't know how audience is going to respond to
this film.
Speaker 2 (23:11):
Yeah, right, so they might Obsession might cancel this one out.
Speaker 1 (23:14):
Yeah yeah, I know that would be a shame because
I do want people to see this film. I really
do want people to see This is my response to it,
and this is maybe my fatigue of horror at the moment.
So that's where my two and a half stars comes from.
Speaker 2 (23:28):
Well, yeah, if you've doen too fairly strong horror films
back to back, then yeah, that's fair enough. I love
a concept film. I love a high concept film. I
think this was executed really well, and I love the
layers or the levels that you can keep thinking about
the concept as you go on, you know, using the
incredibly normal but focusing on the creepiness of the moment
(23:50):
in the film. It's a bit like when we went
to see The Man Laurian last week. I told you
that when we're waiting to get inside the cinema, that
all the cosplayers started coming out in full Star Wars costume,
and there was something about it being dusk and kind
of dark, and then these characters being there that I
kind of got a bit spooked by it. And I
knew it wasn't a spooky moment, but I had a
little kind of spooky moment. And that's almost like a
(24:12):
liminal space too, because we weren't in the cinema yet,
we're kind of outside the cinema. Then we're presented with
these things that are quite normal when I see them
at a comic convention they're just in fluorescent lighting, but
now it's at night time and it's dark lighting. Were
just some spots for overhead.
Speaker 1 (24:26):
Were you scared? I didn't realize you were scared of
that point, should I have?
Speaker 2 (24:28):
Given it's much that I had. I was scared. It
was just it was just a bit spooky to me.
It was just like, oh, this is all a bit
you know, it's not regular, It's not normal and there
was no music playing or anything. It wasn't a festive
line to be in. They were just lining up in
front of us.
Speaker 1 (24:40):
I can only hear the Star Wars music while when
those people turned up, and it's me a seven foot
dark later. By the way, kudos to you who was
ever in that suit.
Speaker 2 (24:48):
But yeah, so I like the way this film made
me feel, and I really loved feeling it the whole time.
So yeah, three and a half for me and the
extra half. It's probably a three star film, but three
and a half because I just love being in this
moment and being in this feeling and enjoying the work
they'd done at such an incredible level to make me
feel that way.
Speaker 1 (25:07):
Well, this is definitely one of those horror films people
are going to either absolutely love or completely reject. But regardless,
it's hard to deny that this film does not or
or leaves an impression. It leaves an impression. I'm going
to say that regardless of how many stars we've got.
Next week, on the plot, we and you know, we
teased this last week, but it was my mistake.
Speaker 2 (25:27):
We jumped ahead. We jump with that man hemen, So
the space went into the future.
Speaker 1 (25:32):
Coincidentally, guys, while we're recording this, we are moments away
from being able to see Masters. So very excited for that.
And I'll wrap this up quite quickly as I need
to put.
Speaker 2 (25:42):
On my he Man wig just over an hour.
Speaker 1 (25:44):
Come on, you know, my he Man wig is the
same as my Casey Becker wig for on screen one.
Speaker 2 (25:49):
I've got my I've got my man at arms mustache
ready to go.
Speaker 1 (25:53):
Have you got it? I want to. I was expecting
you to come along, you know, with the action figure chest, which, yeah,
the way.
Speaker 2 (26:00):
That costume, I seem I want one of those.
Speaker 1 (26:03):
Anyway, next week we're going to be back with TV
reload where we talk about movies. Don't get me started,
and we're diving into one of the biggest nostalgia driven
blockbusters heading into cinemas, and it will be our review
next week, Masters of the Universe, and it's an eighties kickback.
So guys, we can't wait to come back to you
with this. But this weekend, if you're looking to be
absolutely scared, leave a few skid marks, head along to
(26:25):
the movie theater, to the nov to an independent film
and watch Backrooms
It's in the news today, but it was actually on TV.
Speaker 2 (00:02):
Reload the podcast last week that.
Speaker 1 (00:03):
Line, yeaday, guys, welcome back to TV Reload. My name
is Benjamin Norris, and today I'm joined by my very
fabulous co host, brose of Art.
Speaker 2 (00:11):
That's right, I'm stalking around the back rooms of my house.
I guess.
Speaker 1 (00:16):
Your house is like that, though, isn't it.
Speaker 2 (00:18):
Yes, it has some subliminal spaces in the liminal space. Sorry,
e liminal space. I'm confusing subliminal liminal. But we'll get
into that in a minute. I think I think liminal
spaces is the theme of this movie.
Speaker 1 (00:28):
Well, this week we are diving into one of the
most unsettling horror releases of this year with A twenty
four's back Rooms, a film that has already sparked huge
conversation online for its atmosphere, psychological tension, and the way
that it taps into internet horror culture. Which, yeah, here
we are in twenty twenty six. And that's the thing, Bros.
Speaker 2 (00:48):
Absolutely a thing. And I don't want to jump the
gun too early, but thin Man is another movie that was,
you know, essentially came from internet horror, and I love
the community that gets around this stuff, Like I love
a great horror movie, but the idea that teens and
are just online scaring the shit out of each other
with stuff they're making up. I love that. It's like
campfire stuff. It's just a different way of approaching it,
(01:08):
and it all gets recorded, so if someone wants to
make a film based on it, it's all there. You know.
Speaker 1 (01:14):
This film does remind me. And when I first watched
the trailer and when I first started hearing about it,
I thought, Blair Witch Project. Do you think Blair Witch
Project when you watch this movie?
Speaker 2 (01:23):
Well, I guess because Blair which was the biggest found
footage do doco, So even I'm an idiot, it was
a found footage horror film. That's one that really broke
through into the mainstream and it's probably the first time
a lot of cinemago was even saw found footage ideas. Now,
found footage has used a lot, obviously in documentaries because
they go and look for the footage to tell the
story they're telling, and in fiction, so nonfiction, it's used
(01:44):
a lot. In fiction not as common, but yeah, the
original short film for this back Rooms, which this film
is based on, is all found footage. And it's quite spectacular.
It's about nine minutes, a great little film.
Speaker 1 (01:54):
I just want to know with this film, there's a
few concepts that are being done here the found footage. Actually,
forget this, guys, I'm just going to do something. I'm
going to do something really early with this conversation and
just say this might be a shorter episode because of
you guys listening to this, Because there is a lot
of ways in which Bros. And I could be unpacking
this film that could ruin spoil this film for you.
Speaker 2 (02:16):
So yeah, and we want to encourage meole to see
this film because it is a film that's hard to describe,
which is also one of the themes of the film ironically,
but you should go and see it. Is definitely what
we're saying, experience something that is an experience rather than
just a story.
Speaker 1 (02:30):
Well. Backrooms is a twenty twenty six American science fiction
horror film directed by Cain Parsons. This is his first
feature length film as a director. From a screenplay by
Will Sutik, the film is based on Parson's hugely successful
web series inspired by the viral Backrooms Creepy pasta phenomenon
that exploded online and I have to say, maybe, Bros,
(02:52):
I'm not online as much as I should be, but
I wasn't aware of this phenomenon. Did you know anything
about this creepy series?
Speaker 2 (03:00):
I wasn't necessarily aware of it. But it does parallel
the thin Man kind of phenomenon. So the idea that
the thin Man became a horror character that everyone would
write gifts or photos. They'd edit thin Man into the
background of photos and things, so thin Man became prolific
online as a horrific character that everyone would use and
everyone enjoyed getting scared by. And then back Rooms was
kind of a similar idea, so it kind of extends
(03:23):
in terms of the mood. I guess the vibe that
the back Rooms content has is that it's kind of
lending from you know those YouTube or tiktoks where people
go into an empty hotel or an empty house or
an empty sew or something, and it's using that idea
that when something's abandoned that it's somehow kind of perverted
and scary at the same time. So empty horror corridors
(03:45):
in a in a primary school or empty corridors in
a hotel when it's empty and not being used for
purpose is inherently kind of spooky, and so that's what
this film is building off the back of. And so
Creepy Pasta is one of the places where people were
sharing this content and our director, in this instance I
saw that content and thought, oh, I could do better
than that. So he then set out to start developing
his own liminal spaces, horror and back rooms. Was that
(04:08):
was the result of that.
Speaker 1 (04:09):
Well, I think that every single person in the world
at some point has had a nightmare that tinkers into
this kind of conceptual idea because that whole near as
far endless space. You know, that feeling when you're in
the ocean is how deep is this ocean? Or being
in space, how expansive is space? That kind of spatial
element to me has always terrified me.
Speaker 2 (04:31):
And you're absolutely right, because it's talking about space. So
two thousand and one space, what does he uses this
idea of liminal space as well? When you look at
a space station with only two people on it, you know,
and there's the horror element we've now forgotten his name,
the talking robot. How how so with Hell, who's obviously
the horrific character in that instance, but they use the
liminal spaces. Same with Kubrick in The Shining as well.
That empty hotel is all about liminal spaces as well.
(04:54):
It's not being used as the hotel, and it's going
to be used as the hotel once winter is over.
But in this instance there's just three people walking around
haunted corridors. So there is a history of liminal spaces
in horror, but this is with the found footage and
the reality element he's brought into this.
Speaker 1 (05:07):
It's really tasty, well injected into this is some fantastic
acting and I think when they were casting this they
must have thought to themselves, these people being put into
these spaces are going to have to convey a lot.
The film stars chuetel Igio four and Renata Ryan's Fair
That stares Mark Duplus, Finn Bennett, and Lacuta Maxwell.
Speaker 2 (05:26):
Oh, I love Markedjuplus. He's good in everything, could be quirky,
funny or straight, and he's I mean, he's barely in this,
but he's in it enough. He significant.
Speaker 1 (05:32):
Today we're breaking down the cast, cinematography, editing, score, and
the creative team behind this film, and while also talking
about why independent horror film has become one of the
most profitable genres in modern cinema. But before we get
any further, I do want to drop us a little
thirty second tease and also tell you just a little
bit about the film. Out of Place.
Speaker 2 (05:57):
Hello, anyone in there. Look, I know how this sounds,
but you can't understand. It's massive in there.
Speaker 1 (06:05):
I'm not saying I don't believe you.
Speaker 2 (06:07):
Okay, I'm gonna come back here, would proof? All right?
You feel me? Yes? Follow my lead?
Speaker 1 (06:14):
What is this?
Speaker 2 (06:15):
That's what I'm trying to figure out. I've been here
every night since I found the place, and I still
barely scratch the surface. I just take a slong. Me up,
Put me up, put me out. What do all these
rooms this place built?
Speaker 1 (06:35):
It's like amaze, it just goes on and on.
Speaker 2 (06:38):
Somes. I'm scared I'll get lost. I don't understand what
is this?
Speaker 1 (06:52):
So Backrooms follows a group trapped inside a endless, liminal
nightmare of fluorescent lid hallways and shifting architectural design where
reality slowly collapses around them. Rather than relying on traditional
horror formulas, this film leans heavily into psychological dread, isolation,
and atmosphere to create tension. Bros. When you hear about
(07:14):
these things, is that how you felt was their psychological dread.
Speaker 2 (07:17):
What I love about it is the idea that it
looks like an office space, you know, like any office building,
an office building. It's got some dated wallpaper on it,
and a lot of films, even a TV series like
The Original English Office use that environment to create a
certain mood. And there is a mood in that, and
there is something relentless about you know, those people that
listen that go to an office every day and the
same lights and the same desk and the same coffee
(07:39):
machine or the same people. There is already a routineness
that is kind of I wouldn't say horrific, but there
is something kind of depressingly consistent about it. And that's
what he kind of taps into. As soon as you
see that space, it's nothing exciting, and then it's a
bit weird because walls are in different places, or the
cabinets against the walls aren't right where they should be.
So some really impressive rule stuff, but yeah, the mood
(08:01):
that he creates, and that like a lot of places
like this don't have wallpaper, but the choice of that
wallpaper was just added so much to the horror in
some ways.
Speaker 1 (08:10):
What about the publicity team deciding to give everyone a
large popcorn made out of the color of those walls,
Like it was so good.
Speaker 2 (08:17):
We all got a yellow bag of popcorn and the
paper was the wallpaper.
Speaker 1 (08:20):
Also, a big shout out to A twenty four for
being able to have that many people in an independent
film like this.
Speaker 2 (08:26):
That's the biggest audience I've been in for one of
these kinds of things since probably like the last Ghostbusters
movie or something you know, like or screen would have
been the same, like things like that. And it's just
a little independent film, brilliant little independent film.
Speaker 1 (08:38):
Well, Also, I thought, what was really scary for you
and I is the idea of a nine to five job.
When was the last time you've been in an office
space where you had a nine to.
Speaker 2 (08:47):
Job ros two thousand and eleven.
Speaker 1 (08:49):
That's truly terrifying. That's just thinking about being in a
nine to five job in an office that is as
stale as the environments that has been created here.
Speaker 2 (08:59):
Getting back to the kind of the similarity with Blair
Witch with the found footage, Severance came to mind as
well from Apple TV because Severance uses the same kind
of idea that it's about the unknown. I think with
severance in this film that it's a well known environment
presented in a way that is completely unknown to the
individual in the environment, and it keeps changing, like you're saying,
and isn't quite an accurate representation at all times. So
(09:21):
I was getting very very severancy kind of feels through it.
I was waiting for them just to walk into a
random room with goats and grasp. Cube is another horror
film I really enjoy where it kind of reminded me
the same kind of repetition of space and the continuing
of space, and it's the psychological element in Cube. Every
space is the exact same cube. They ended through different ways,
each time creates its own set of tensions and horror
(09:43):
within the dynamic and the activities in the cube, and
it follows. Is a great horror film, one of the greatest.
I think. It's twenty seventeen, very simple premise and shot
very simply but beautifully shot, really stark, pale colors, scary
as hell to that film. So great with that film.
Speaker 1 (10:00):
I remember the score for that was quite eighties, is
that Ryan, Yeah, yeah, Yeah, it's really good. Well, we're
going to jump into talking about some of the acting
in this film, because I think it was a real
choice to pick all of these actors. Like all of
these actors I feel like at the top of their
game in terms of character acting and offering just those
small nuances that we like that make us connect to characters. Chipotel,
(10:22):
who is our protagonist straight away, is a very unlikable guy,
and yet we are still rooting for him. That is
a really impossible task that has been set for our
protagonists with this film. That's also being offset by Vernata,
and we're sort of getting both of these characters POV
the whole way through the film, bros. With these two
(10:43):
leads who do a lot of heavy lifting, How did
you get well?
Speaker 2 (10:47):
She would tell, is he a bad guy or is
he just a guy in a bad situation? I love
the way he plays the situation. He's got a shitty job,
and he's this isn't giving too much away, but he's
separated from his wife and things like that. It takes
a while do we get later on in the third act,
which I want to mention the way that kind of
turns around on itself. But in the beginning you just
kind of think, Okay, he's had a bad he's had
a rough trot, right, But we dig deeper and deeper
(11:08):
and deeper. And then Mary the psychologist again the same
kind of thing. Right, she's got a pass, she's got
a history. It's not as privileged as you might think
straight away saying that she seems to're a reasonably successful
psychologist with her own books on tape and things like that.
So yeah, but she plays things so straight and so
calm even when things get quite energetic, she still kind
(11:28):
of keeps it together again until that third act where
it's just magnificent. So they're both great and to be
in a space again which just looks like an office building,
but they're reacting constantly to everything around them that's very
subtle and making it absolutely count and work. That weird
moment where he picks up a chair but it's still
stuck to the chair underneath it for some reason. Oh
weird and brilliant and bizarre, and yeah, he just reacts
(11:50):
to it and then keeps moving. But yeah, their performances
both are fantastic.
Speaker 1 (11:54):
Well, he does sort of explain as the actor that
in his therapy you kind of hear and say that
people don't like him. You know, people don't we'll come
to him in a way of a bit of disdain,
and you know, we as an audience have already felt that.
I think as he explains it to us, you know,
we're like, hey, no shit, mate, you are a bit
of a weird and you're running like this store that
you obviously don't want to run, and you know they
(12:17):
don't man explain this, but it's actually very clever in
the way in which those two things are running at
the same time. Where he is showing he's demonstrating the
fact that he'd be a fucking weird blow to meet
in real life. You know.
Speaker 2 (12:27):
Yeah, the other element of this film is really good.
And again that's not a spoiler, but that main character
is working defenders Staw, but he's actually an architect by trade.
The term liminal spaces is actually an architectural term, and
it simply describes any space that isn't a room. Basically, so,
a w hallway is a liminal space, an entrance way
is a liminal space. Any space he put into a
design that isn't a bedroom or a bathroom or a
(12:48):
meeting room or a function room is a liminal space,
and so yeah, just having that little element in there
is it's kind of tasty when you look up the
definitions of some of the terms and it's like, oh, wow,
he'd know that because he is an architect.
Speaker 1 (12:59):
He is an archael and I've never met an architect
that's not a little bit creepy.
Speaker 2 (13:03):
Finn Bennett and Lakeida Maxwell round out the main cast.
But I just wanted to mention Lakida Maxwell. I don't
know if anyone's been enjoying Shrinking. I really enjoyed it
on Apple TV. She's the daughter in that. And you know,
you get a sense of ownership over new actors when
you like a show they're in and then see them
do better and do well in a film. So I
was half proud, but enjoyed her performance as well.
Speaker 1 (13:20):
I think it's interesting as well now the way that
the landscape of television and film has changed. You know,
back in the day, you were a television actor on
Friends and Jennifer Anderson certainly wasn't welcome to make movies, no,
you know what I mean, Like no one was allowed
to cross the room. And now we are finding actors
in some of these scripted dramas and they're allowed to
(13:41):
just walk straight into you know, and.
Speaker 2 (13:42):
There are still some actors that stay in film, but
you know, once they get to about fifty, then they
can sign a very lucrative screening streaming deal and make
a drama.
Speaker 1 (13:51):
Did the performances help make this environment though believable for you?
Do you think that? Because I kind of talked about
this before in terms of getting some of Particular's style
of actors and actresses. You know, they obviously chose that
to try and sell the realism and to make sure
the fear was there in a psychological.
Speaker 2 (14:08):
I mean, the thing that blows me away. And we
haven't really mentioned it, but the guy that directed this
is twenty or twenty one years old. It's unknown because
Wikipedia has twenty or twenty one, depending on when he
was two thousand and five or two thousand and six.
But for a director of that age to have such
mature direction and the subtlety that he gets out of
these actors, like it's so easy when horror to go
over the top and be really kind of crazy, like
even the you know, our main star playing Clark there,
(14:30):
he could have played that so many different ways. You know,
in that third act, which I don't want to give
anything away from, but he plays it, underplays it. He's
so subtle and he it seems so much more believable
to me. And saying with the younger cast, I just
really liked the performances he got out of them and
knew not to go and who knows, maybe he got
them to play three or four different ways per take
or per per scene or whatever. But I think the
performances he gets out of them and the maturity just
(14:52):
to just stay there, don't don't go too big, just
stay where you are, was just great. Don't you agree?
Speaker 1 (14:57):
Yeah, Cane Parsons is just phenomenal. I think ye that
we to be talking about for a long time. Didn't
know who he was yesterday, No I didn't, And then
here we are talking about him in a way that
I think, you know, this is sort of where filmmaking
is going, you know. I think people are looking for
more unique and younger stories as well, because for a
long time we struggled to talk and get younger people
(15:19):
interested in cinema and get them into cinema like we
grew up. Yeah, you know, Fridays and Saturday nights. You
couldn't buy a ticket to the movies because it would
sell out.
Speaker 2 (15:26):
Couldn't get an overnight video from the VHS story either, right, like, yeah,
everyone was watching a movie on Friday's a day night.
The other thing I think is great is that for
ages people have been saying he can go from YouTube
or the internet to TV or film, and a lot
of people like to say that, but the evidence hasn't
been that rich really, whereas now there's a real strong divide.
And given the fact that when we were kids, we
love guys like Sam Raimi, you know, these self starters
(15:49):
Kevin Smith went out and made their own film, bought
their own film, stock, shot their own films, found a distributor.
That part of the industry doesn't really exist anymore. You've
got to kind of be at Blumhouse level to even
get a start anymore, which obviously our director here has
been able to do. But it's good that YouTube is
now producing people. You know, Jim Cameron came from the
independence and Jack Nicholson was in independent films before he
(16:09):
got you know, the bits of the big time, Like yeah,
all the small independent films that used to provide the
talent for the main industry don't exist as much as
they used to, so YouTube you have to turn to YouTube.
And this guy is just incredible.
Speaker 1 (16:20):
So we've got our cinematographer who is Jeremy Cox. I
think this film would be nothing without the choices that
are made to make this feel claustrophobic and those long haulways.
The fluorescent lighting, which to me, I'm just going to
say to you, bros, I've always been terrified of fluorescent
lights flicking on and off, like take Me seven eleven,
where they haven't done the lighting properly, and that's my nightmare.
Speaker 2 (16:39):
Does your eye twitch a little bit? Do you get
a little bit twitchy a little bit?
Speaker 1 (16:42):
I was switching while we both talk about this right now.
Speaker 2 (16:44):
The other thing that I loved in this film too
is I hate when there's a design thing and they
use it in this film, like it really makes my
eye twitch as well, where like one of the lights
is covered by a wall, like half the light because
that's where they wanted the wall, but they didn't bother
to move the light. And it's that kind of thing
driving me crazy. And then in this film there's a
shot of that and you're like, ah, you just gotta
get me there too, don't you. Little things aren't quite right.
(17:05):
I like everything to be lined up well.
Speaker 1 (17:06):
Our cinematographer is definitely weaponizing these empty spaces, which creates
an enormous amount of tension throughout the film from start
to finish. And also clever about this film when it
comes to the editing by Gregnng is that it's not
a long film. You know that films these days lose
me when they go for too long. This film literally
is an hour and forty five minutes and you're out,
(17:27):
And I think that's for this genre of film. It
couldn't have gone any longer. If you ask me.
Speaker 2 (17:32):
No, I agree, And look, we've said it before, we'll
say it again. But comedies, horror films, a lot of
genre films, even thrillers. Ninety minutes and one hundred minutes
it that's all you need. You don't need to go
over the top, you don't need to go crazy.
Speaker 1 (17:44):
What's your rationale for why they make movies so long
these days? Like you know, coming from your background, you
have a strong love of superhero films, which now are
three hours long. You know what do you think the
rationales extend?
Speaker 2 (17:55):
I think often sequels now get longer and longer because
they feel they have to add more and more in
to justify the sequel and to get people's attention. And
I don't think that's true. The other complaint I've always
had is why the sequels to superhero films always have
multiple villains. Why do they always have multiple villains.
Speaker 1 (18:10):
We don't want that.
Speaker 2 (18:11):
One really good villain. I don't need exactly three warded down,
crappy villains. But it's that idea of we're going to
give them a little bit more. We've got to get
a little bit more out of it. It's got to be
a little bit more. I think, like a big epic
film like the original Suitman. That's fine, it's an epic
tale that's telling this incredible story. But that doesn't mean
every Superman film needs to be three hours long. You know,
just get to the point, tell us the story, and
let's move on. We can watch another movie another day
(18:32):
with another short, sharp, ninety minute story.
Speaker 1 (18:35):
And something that you love and I love hearing your
response to is score the composer, And I think that
this particular Itto Van Breeman, who's contributed to this with
Kane Parsons himself. He's also attributed as a composer of
this film is the score is so cleverly worked into
some of these claustrophobic spaces, you know, and also non
(18:57):
sound and requirement of sound and no score with scored.
Like some of the choices there were quite specific.
Speaker 2 (19:03):
And some really at times the score felt I don't know,
maybe it was leading us a little bit too much,
but it led us in such a creative way that
it kind of felt nice to be led that makes sense,
So it was not as much cliche necessarily. Kane Parsons,
as well as being a filmmaker on YouTube, is also
a music composer and is released up on SoundCloud and
(19:25):
other sites. And he has a like a distography as
well as a filmography, so he contributed he does a
lot of electronic music with this film is full of it.
But yeah, it's a minimalistic film and it's a cheap
budget and the score just works, you know, It's not
necessarily as great I thought the Mandalorian score was one
of the spectacular score by a new composer for the
Star Wars universe. Where's this score? Okay, not a big
(19:47):
fantastic new idea or anything, but it's just so perfect
for the way the film is the lines perfectly and
it leads you into some really good scares, which is
what you want, but doesn't give them away as such either,
and like you're saying, because it's a a minimal visual
the way they then choose not to use score or
then to use it, or then not to use it,
and then ramp up to something like so much great
(20:08):
stuff in this well.
Speaker 1 (20:08):
I think silence in really good science fiction horror films
over if I look back through from the seventies to today,
silence is an incredibly powerful horror device. It definitely creates
it unease rather than just having a jump scare. And
let's not forget which tagline is this in space? No
one can hear you scream?
Speaker 2 (20:27):
Is that aliens or alien? Alien? Isn't that a I
think it's alien? Right, No, it's alien. I feel like
I said that.
Speaker 1 (20:33):
You know, of course you know this great actual facts
it is.
Speaker 2 (20:36):
But it's also interesting because two thousand one Space he
uses electronics score all the way through it as well,
which there are some parallels here, So yeah, it is.
It is spectacular score, really clever, really well done, nice,
nicely composed.
Speaker 1 (20:48):
Before we do our scores. I just want to touch
upon this because you know you and I watch you know,
I'm assuming you've watched Buffy the Vampire Slayer where they
have the Big Bad a lot. You know, the choice
in some of these horror films about how to reveal
the big Bad? Do you need to reveal the big Bad?
I mean Blair, which projects certainly never showed us the Witch.
What do you think about a decision in because I
(21:08):
don't want to spoil this for anyone, Because I watched this,
I was watching it thinking there's a good chance when
we're not going to meet the Big Bad, and that's
an interesting place for me to kick it over to you.
Speaker 2 (21:19):
How do you well? The thing that I like about this,
without trying not to give anything away, is the Big
Bad connects with the source material for this film, the
internet horror stuff. It involves like this is a big
Bad has a parallel with the Thin Man and the
thin Man. You often saw representations of the thin Man
in the online horror stuff, but you never saw a
definitive image of the thin Man.
Speaker 1 (21:41):
You know.
Speaker 2 (21:41):
He kind of uses that technique in this as well,
that we do see the big Bad ultimately, But do
we though, well that's the other thing we made on
who even knows, but the because it's such a psychological
kind of terror. I like the design or the way
the Big Bad is used in this is reflective of
the back rooms and liminal horror Internet stuff, so I
(22:02):
kind of like that. Like at first off it seems
a bit abstract, but it is actually quite direct from
that source, so I like that element at least.
Speaker 1 (22:09):
Well A twenty four has dropped a clanger this week
with the back rooms, and I I think I'm going
to surprise people when I tell you what my score
is this week.
Speaker 2 (22:20):
Oh shall I go first? Or do you want to go? No?
Speaker 1 (22:24):
I think look, because we haven't talked about it, and
I don't want to influence yours either. I don't know
if this whole film worked for me, so I'm going
to say and off the back of Obsession, which probably
kicked a few more goals in this space of you know,
low budget, big idea but also being quite minimalistic, we
didn't get to do Obsession. I know you haven't seen
it yet, so this might sound a little unfair. I
(22:45):
felt like that that made some more wins this where
this one didn't quite succeed. So I'm going to say
two and a half stars for this. That's fair, you know,
And I really don't know how this film's going to
go with It's with how much money it's going to make.
There's a lot of discussion about, oh, it's low budgets,
under ten million, they're going to make a fortune. But
I just think with Obsession and back Rounds coming out
(23:06):
at the same time could be bad timing for this.
I don't know how audience is going to respond to
this film.
Speaker 2 (23:11):
Yeah, right, so they might Obsession might cancel this one out.
Speaker 1 (23:14):
Yeah yeah, I know that would be a shame because
I do want people to see this film. I really
do want people to see This is my response to it,
and this is maybe my fatigue of horror at the moment.
So that's where my two and a half stars comes from.
Speaker 2 (23:28):
Well, yeah, if you've doen too fairly strong horror films
back to back, then yeah, that's fair enough. I love
a concept film. I love a high concept film. I
think this was executed really well, and I love the
layers or the levels that you can keep thinking about
the concept as you go on, you know, using the
incredibly normal but focusing on the creepiness of the moment
(23:50):
in the film. It's a bit like when we went
to see The Man Laurian last week. I told you
that when we're waiting to get inside the cinema, that
all the cosplayers started coming out in full Star Wars costume,
and there was something about it being dusk and kind
of dark, and then these characters being there that I
kind of got a bit spooked by it. And I
knew it wasn't a spooky moment, but I had a
little kind of spooky moment. And that's almost like a
(24:12):
liminal space too, because we weren't in the cinema yet,
we're kind of outside the cinema. Then we're presented with
these things that are quite normal when I see them
at a comic convention they're just in fluorescent lighting, but
now it's at night time and it's dark lighting. Were
just some spots for overhead.
Speaker 1 (24:26):
Were you scared? I didn't realize you were scared of
that point, should I have?
Speaker 2 (24:28):
Given it's much that I had. I was scared. It
was just it was just a bit spooky to me.
It was just like, oh, this is all a bit
you know, it's not regular, It's not normal and there
was no music playing or anything. It wasn't a festive
line to be in. They were just lining up in
front of us.
Speaker 1 (24:40):
I can only hear the Star Wars music while when
those people turned up, and it's me a seven foot
dark later. By the way, kudos to you who was
ever in that suit.
Speaker 2 (24:48):
But yeah, so I like the way this film made
me feel, and I really loved feeling it the whole time.
So yeah, three and a half for me and the
extra half. It's probably a three star film, but three
and a half because I just love being in this
moment and being in this feeling and enjoying the work
they'd done at such an incredible level to make me
feel that way.
Speaker 1 (25:07):
Well, this is definitely one of those horror films people
are going to either absolutely love or completely reject. But regardless,
it's hard to deny that this film does not or
or leaves an impression. It leaves an impression. I'm going
to say that regardless of how many stars we've got.
Next week, on the plot, we and you know, we
teased this last week, but it was my mistake.
Speaker 2 (25:27):
We jumped ahead. We jump with that man hemen, So
the space went into the future.
Speaker 1 (25:32):
Coincidentally, guys, while we're recording this, we are moments away
from being able to see Masters. So very excited for that.
And I'll wrap this up quite quickly as I need
to put.
Speaker 2 (25:42):
On my he Man wig just over an hour.
Speaker 1 (25:44):
Come on, you know, my he Man wig is the
same as my Casey Becker wig for on screen one.
Speaker 2 (25:49):
I've got my I've got my man at arms mustache
ready to go.
Speaker 1 (25:53):
Have you got it? I want to. I was expecting
you to come along, you know, with the action figure chest, which, yeah,
the way.
Speaker 2 (26:00):
That costume, I seem I want one of those.
Speaker 1 (26:03):
Anyway, next week we're going to be back with TV
reload where we talk about movies. Don't get me started,
and we're diving into one of the biggest nostalgia driven
blockbusters heading into cinemas, and it will be our review
next week, Masters of the Universe, and it's an eighties kickback.
So guys, we can't wait to come back to you
with this. But this weekend, if you're looking to be
absolutely scared, leave a few skid marks, head along to
(26:25):
the movie theater, to the nov to an independent film
and watch Backrooms
Popular Podcasts
Joy 101 with Hoda Kotb
Joy is essential. And it's also elusive. You can't order it, borrow it, or simply hope it into life. But now, there's a new and exciting way to start your journey toward a more joyful existence: The Joy 101 Podcast with Hoda! Best known for her Emmy-winning work and co-anchoring Today, Hoda Kotb infuses her authenticity, curiosity, and warmth into conversations with the world’s most fascinating people. Entertainment legends, sport icons, wellness experts, and everyday folks will share how they find, allow, and experience joy. Hoda will offer her own tips and takes on seeking a more balanced, harmonious life. If you're craving inspiration, support, and useful tools to maximize your joy, tune in to these candid, uplifting, and moving on-air chats. Joy after a breakup, joy as an empty-nester, joy after loss, joy as a caretaker — Hoda's new podcast will speak to you. Joy 101 with Hoda Kotb, an iHeartPodcast.
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com